Flower exhibiting device



July 7, 1936. R, w SIMPSON 2,046,854

FLOWR EXHIBITING DEVICE Filed oct. 22, 1955 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LFLOWER. EXHIBITING DEVICE Robert W. Simpson, New York, N. Y.

'I'his invention relates to apparatus for containing and exhibiting owers and the like, and my improvement is directed to the use of an in'- verted glass bowl, adapted to be completely filled with water that is sealed therein, together with means for engaging the stems of the owers which are thus enabled to stand upright within the bowl.

The water in the bowl serves to support the ower petals in their natural extended position for a longer period than otherwise, and further to provide the visual effect of enlargement.

Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved flower exhibiting bowl.

Fig. 2 is a perspective detail of the plate carrying the flower stem engaging means.

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of the base securing plate, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of a flower stem carrying plate, having modified stem engaging means.

' bcwi an its base s for l A bowl that is entirely filled with water, provided with a covering'sheet or disk for its open end, will as is well known, when inverted, hold its contents under the influence of atmospheric pressure.

It is this principle I relay upon in carrying out my invention. y

Thus I provide a bowl I composed of glass, and having an outwardly iiared neck portion v2. 'I'his bowl is to be seated in a suitable support with-its neck portion 2 uppermost, and then filled with water. l

As a suitable support I may employ the stand which is used with the bowl in. its inverted, exhibition position. 'I'his stand, which consists of a block 3, is hollowed out as indicated and is adapted, at its inner perimeter 4, to support the the water filling operation. While thus supported the disk 6 is placed coveringly over the neck portion. f

This disk carries, secured thereto, the spring clips 1, in which the stemsV 8 of flowers are to be inserted and gripped.

The flowers are then placed in the water within the bowl, being held fast to disk 6 by the tensional grip of clips 'I upon their'stems.

While the. bowl is supported on the stand as.

stated water is poured through hole 9 in disk 6 supply any deficiency and assure the exclusion of air.

The next step is to bind disks'tc neck 2 which is done by sliding a plate III over said disk, said plate having a turned over ange l I that engages Application ocic'bcr zz, 1935, serial No. 46,129 R E E `i anima (cru-41) the flared neck 2, said plate Ill covering hole 9 in disk 6 and holding said disk in its adjusted position.

Finally a cup-shaped member I2, composed of soft elastic rubber, having an inturned ange I3, is stretched and caused to lit tightly over plate III and the bowlneck portion 2, to constitute a permanent seal for the bowl contents.

'Ihe bowl is then removed from its filling attitude in the stand, inverted and fitted in a metal cup I 4 that forms a lining for the hollowed out portion of the stand, for exhibition purposes, exposing the owers to view as indicated in Fig. l.

As `an example of magnification the natural size of the owers is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 15`

having the opposed semi-circular grooves I6, 20

which combine to form a, retaining socket for a stem, said arms having transverse opposed extensions I'I adapted to grip between them flower stems' of smaller size, to thus enable the exhibition of artistic sprays of large and smaller iiowers from a single holder.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

1. A device for containing and exhibiting owers comprising a water fllledinverted glass bowl having an outwardly iiared neck, a. disk to close said neck, a ower stem engaging spring clip secured to said disk, a binding plate to cover said disk, said plate having an inturned flange to engage said ared neck, and a cup-shaped member composed of soft elastic rubber stretched over said plate and ared neck.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 characterized by the provision of a hole in the neck closing disk for the introduction of bowl filling water.

3. I'he subject matter of claim 1 characterized by the provision of a hollowed out block to support the bowl upturned for water lling andto receive its rubber sealed neck for support when inverted, together with a metal cup lining for said hollowed out block.

4. A supporting clip for the stems of flowers comprising a doubled strip of spring metal whose opposed faces are grooved to form a stem receivflower stems.

` ROBERT W. SIMPSON. 

